


Alone No More

by jlchetti



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-14 19:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 24,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5755030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlchetti/pseuds/jlchetti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Emma and Hook return from the past, everyone in Storybrooke tries to navigate new relationships and a disturbing cold front. This is my first fanfic so I'd love some honest feedback.<br/>I started this story while the show was on hiatus after season 3.  So Elsa is nothing like what she was in the actual series.<br/>Also posted on Fanfiction.  I'm slowly transferring it over here as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Comfort Offered

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into the world of fanfiction writing. This story was originally posted at Fanfiction, and I am slowly bringing it over to AO3.

Emma sat in silence, staring in wonder at him. How had she completely missed it? She was usually so perceptive, especially since her former line of work demanded it on a daily basis. His ship? He gave up his ship? To save her? To save Henry? To save...

"I think perhaps, we had best move back inside. Your family will be looking for you in a bit Love, and I have no desire to explain to David what we were doing out here." He paused, assessing her reaction to his comment. When she didn't respond immediately, he continued, "Who doesn't love a good naming ceremony after a trip back in time? He is your brother after all. " He grinned at her as he stood and offered her a hand.

Emma appreciated what he was doing. He knew that she would, for lack of better phrase, freak out, and was giving her a way out without hurting anyone's feelings. She knew he didn't want to hear her say it was a one time thing again, just as surely as she knew it wasn't a one time thing. Their relationship had changed over the course of the last few months, and she couldn't ignore it anymore. However, that did not mean she was going to jump into a relationship discussion with Killian right away. She needed time to figure it all out. She grasped his extended hand, and they walked back into Granny's to celebrate Neal.

Standing at the door, Emma felt content as she watched everyone inside Granny's. She could not remember the last time she felt this way, maybe she never had. She walked with Killian to the counter and sat next to him as he spoke with the woman they had brought back from the past. When he saw her following him, he raised an eyebrow at her and looked at Snow and David. She shrugged her shoulders and grinned at him. He smiled back and returned his attention to the woman. She was going to have to get some answers from her soon so she could help her adjust to a new life in Storybrooke.

Just as Emma was about to ask her some questions, Regina walked in with Robin and Roland. When it became apparent that Robin not only knew the woman, but that she was his wife, Emma felt her heart in her throat. She was overwhelmed and could think of nothing to say to Regina besides I'm sorry, which she knew was meaningless to her at the moment. She had caused this pain in Regina's life, the same way Snow had all those years before. She could only stand there.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Henry yelling "Mom! Mom! Wait!" as he ran by her. He looked to Emma, silently asking permission. Emma wasn't sure what to do. She knew that Regina was upset, and she knew she had every right to be. She also knew that an upset Regina could be a very dangerous Regina. She immediately pushed that thought aside. She knew that Regina would never hurt Henry. She nodded and Henry ran out the door, still yelling after Regina.

Emma walked over to the table where her parents were sitting and practically fell into the seat. She put her head on the table and closed her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she slid over expecting Snow to be there comforting her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was actually Killian, looking slightly uncomfortable to be touching her like that in front of her parents. This wasn't an innuendo, a joke or anything like it, this was him taking care of her, and she and everyone else looking at them knew it. His hand came off her shoulder very slowly and he put it on the table in front of him.

Snow leaned over, and placed a hand over his. She took a deep breath and they knew they were in for one of her speeches. His eyes widened in surprise, but he remained quiet.

"It is ok," she said. That was it. She patted his hand and looked at David, almost daring him to contradict her. When David said nothing, Killian stood, bowed to them all, and walked out the door.


	2. Whatever You Need of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always forget, so here is my disclaimer:  
> I do not own the characters in this story.

Killian walked out the door and down the steps, cursing himself. Now the lass would really turn away from him. Whatever grace he had earned himself was surely gone after that display of affection. He sighed and started making his way to the docks.

"What the bloody hell was that Hook?" he murmured to himself.

He knew that Emma was going to feel an immense amount of guilt for bringing Regina unhappiness, that she would keep it very close to her heart. He just wanted to give her some ounce of comfort, and before he even knew he was doing it, his hand was on her shoulder willing her to be ok. She may have ruined Regina's happiness with Robin, but she did also just save Marian's life. That was no small feat. She's a bloody hero and she needs to remember that.

He sat on a bench facing the water and breathed in the salt air relaxing his tensed shoulders a little. At least he would always have the ocean close at hand. He sat there contemplating his best course of action for a few minutes.

"I could always just pretend that I haven't embarrassed her when I see her next. This way she doesn't have to think about it. Maybe I could just say I'm sorry and tell her I will never touch her again. Or I could just leave now, much as it would pain me to go. There is no disaster, Zelena is dead, the baby Prince is doing well, Swan has her magic back. I do not want to cause her any more discomfort. That's probably the best idea."

"Or you could shut up and listen to what she has to say."

Killian froze. In his musings to himself, he had not heard Emma walk up behind him. He must be going soft. He silently counted to 3, took a deep breath and turned to look at her. Her face was red, not like she had been crying, but like she was angry. He knew he was in for it, but also that he would let her go at him any way she willed. He never wanted to cause her pain.

"Emma, I am so sorry to have caused you embarrassment with my display of affection. I just wanted you to know..."

"Shut up, Killian." she said.

The pleasure he felt in her calling him by his given name, as opposed to his more colorful moniker, was something that he could never fully explain to her or anyone else, and caused him to grin uncontrollably.

"You did nothing that embarrassed me. You did kind of raise some questions for Dav.. my dad, but you did not embarrass me." She looked at him hard, like she was trying to read him before continuing on.

"All you did was offer me comfort, just like you did in the Enchanted Forest when we thought my mom had died. I know you weren't doing it to score points with me pirate. I know you care and that is what you do when you care about people. You help them and comfort them and help them make peace with themselves. Unfortunately for you..."

"Aye lass, you don't have to finish. I know you do not feel the same about me as I do you," he burst out rather quickly. Even though he had told himself he'd let her say whatever she wanted, he could not hear again how she did not feel for him the way he did for her. It was just too much for him at this point. His saying it made it a little more bearable than whatever comment she had to make.

"Let me finish," she said to him as she sat down on the bench next to him.

He scooted to the farthest end of the bench, her nearness too overwhelming after the kiss outside Granny's, and turned his body to look at her.

"As you wish," he murmured.

She smiled at him. Why was she smiling at him? What was so funny at this moment when she was about to tear his heart out, again? He raised an eyebrow at her and she just laughed.

"I was going to say unfortunately for you, you chose someone who was damaged early in life and has a lot of issues to work through. I have a lot on my plate as the savior, a mom and now, a daughter and sister. I trust you to help me get through all of those things. I can't say that working things out with me will be easy, because I do have a lot of baggage, but I would like it if you wanted to try."

He stared at her, uncertain of what to say. It was more than he had hoped for or thought he deserved, but it didn't feel right for some reason.

" What changed your mind Swan? Not 3 days ago you were telling me it wasn't going to happen..."

She sighed, "Fair question. You have proven that I can trust you and rely on you. I'm still not used to that. Nobody has ever put me first the way that you have. At first, I just thought it was about getting into my pants, but as time went on and you continued to put me first, I realized that's not what it was about for you. I ignored it for a while, pretending that it didn't matter, but I knew you weren't using me, you actually do care."

"Swan, I'm glad you trust me, and I will do whatever I can to help you maneuver through all your responsibilities. However," he sighed, resigned to the fact that he was about to ruin everything with her, "I do not want you to feel obligated to me. I do care, but just because I do, does not mean that you have to. I care so much in fact, that I hear what you don't say much more clearly than what you do say. Nowhere in that little speech of yours did you mention any feelings in return for me. All you said was that you believe me now when I say I care. That would have been enough for me in the past, but now it is not. What I feel for you is not little and I need you to feel something for me besides regard."

He stood and looked at her. She looked awestruck, but remained quiet.

"I mean what I said Swan, I will do anything I can to help you. I will be your friend, babysitter, confidant, whatever you need of me. Have a good night and sleep well," he whispered. He turned and walked back towards town leaving Emma sitting on the bench.

As he walked back towards Granny's he knew he had done right by him and her, but it felt like having his heart ripped out of his chest.


	3. Trust is Not Enough

Snow knew something was wrong with Emma before she even opened the door. She could hear it in her steps on her way up the stairs. When she walked in, Snow knew it was bad, really bad. Emma had the same look on her face Snow had seen her wearing when she explained that she was an orphan in Neverland. It was a mix of hurt and disappointment and heartbreak.

"Emma! What on earth is wrong?"

"Well, he rejected me," she mumbled quickly.

"He did what?!" shouted David. "Where does he get off rejecting you? After months of pining for you, he changed his mind?"

Emma grimaced hearing David.

"Charming, as much as I love how passionate you are about our daughter's happiness, be quiet and let her talk before you jump to any conclusions about Killian." She gave him a pointed look, before continuing. "Emma, what do you mean he rejected you? I can't for the life of me understand how that could even happen. He has true feelings for you, anyone can see that."

Emma sighed, looked at her parents and shared the basics of the conversation she had just had with Killian. Snow knew how hard it was to have this conversation for her. She knew something had changed in Emma the second she had walked into Granny's earlier that evening. Emma wasn't someone who shared things openly, but here she was spilling her guts to her parents about heartbreak. Heartbreak she realized that needn't be. She couldn't help herself as she split into a grin.

Emma and Charming stared at her, and she realized what she was doing.

"Oh Emma, don't take that the wrong way. I'm not smiling at your pain. I know it looks that way, but I'm not. He loves you and I think you misunderstood what he was saying," Snow started.

"You know I am not a fan of the idea of you and the Pirate," Charming cut her off, "but he does love you. He was not rejecting you exactly. He wants you to know that you are not obligated to try a relationship with him just because he loves you. Based on what you say you said to him, that is kind of what it sounded like. Yes you trust him, we have all grown to trust him, even me, a little, but that is not enough to make a relationship. It pains me to admit, but I would probably have reacted the same way as him."

Snow stared at her husband, in awe. She remembered their conversations back in the Enchanted Forest about Prince Charles and Princess Leia. He had always regretted not keeping in touch with Charles. He had said that he wanted to know how their story ended, whether or not Charles ever got the approval of Leia's family or Leia admitted to her feelings for him because anyone with eyes could see she felt the same way as him. After all, he had gone through so much to save her from the Evil Queen at a time when she was truly at her worst. How could Leia and her family not see how much he truly cared for her? It made Charming very sad. Now that he knew Charles was actually Killian, she wondered if he was thinking about that. She looked at him knowingly and smiled at him. "Tell her."

David sighed and told her of the conversation he had with Prince Charles.

"I was sad for Charles," he said. "Here he was completely besotted with this woman, willing to go up against Regina to get her back when her family disapproved and he didn't even know if she felt the same way about him. I remember thinking he was a good man and I still feel that way now, even knowing who he was."

Snow looked at her daughter, who looked miserable. She still wasn't getting it.

"Emma, Killian has been there for you through some very traumatic events in your life. I think he knows that you may be confused about how you feel about him. He doesn't want you to jump into something with him because you feel like you should. He wants you to want to be with him because of who he is."

All of a sudden screaming filled the room and they all jumped ready to leap into action. Snow laughed realizing it was just Neal waking up. She looked at Charming and nodded in the baby's direction. He took the hint and quickly moved to the other room to take care of his son.

Snow focused on Emma again, "When I win your heart Emma, and I will win it, it will not be because of any trickery, it will be because you want me," she whispered. At the look on Emma's face, Snow thought she might be starting to get it. "When you told me he said that to you, I thought he was just being arrogant, but everyone wants to be wanted for who they actually are not for what they offer. Emma, you have come so far in such a short time, and I know that was our fault for abandoning you.."

"Mom, I know.."

Snow cut her off with a wave of her hand, and kept going, "we did abandon you, and you had to pay that price for 28 years. You've never had someone to trust, to lean on, and lets be honest, you've never had any real friends or relationships. You built up this giant wall around yourself because of that and Killian has broken through little by little in a way that your father and I never could. You trust him, and you feel like that is enough, but it is not enough. He does not know how you feel Emma because you keep it all bottled up inside except on very rare instances. Instances that always involve him, might I add. You smile so much more when you are around him, did you know that?"

Emma just sat there looking at her. Snow wasn't sure if she had been saying the right things or not. She just wanted her daughter to have a chance at true happiness, not just peaceful moments here and there. No matter what treachery they were in the middle of, Snow always knew she had Charming, and that made all the difference in the world. She knew that Hook was that for Emma. She wouldn't say that, at least not to Emma, not yet anyway. The way those two looked at each other, the way they sought each other out whenever anything bad was going on, the way Emma listened to what he had to say and took his advice to heart, even when everyone else wasn't listening to him, that was all she needed to see to know that it would work. She just had to make Emma see it.

"Yea, I had noticed that," she said grimly. "What if I don't know if I love him?"

Snow paused, thinking for a moment. "I think," she began, "that you should talk to him. Tell him that, and see where it goes from there. You don't have to love him right now Emma, but if there is a possibility that those feelings could develop, don't you think he would want to know?"

Emma stood up and hugged her mother. Then she walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Snow asked.

"I do care about him. It goes beyond just trusting him, and he needs to know it. Thanks Mom, and tell dad that I'll talk to him tomorrow, and not to hunt down Killian before I can talk to him."

Snow stood and walked to Neal's room, where David was trying a little too hard to pretend he hadn't been listening to what the two women in his life were discussing. She looked at him and smiled.

"Did he really say that to her? The bit about winning her heart?"

"Yes, does that bother you?"

"I feel like it should, but it just means that he's really serious about her doesn't it? He's been serious about her since Neverland hasn't he?"

"Oh he most definitely is. He has been for a while, maybe even since the beanstalk, which really says something since she left him chained up there with a giant," she grinned a little thinking about it. "I think it says more that she struck a deal with Anton to set him free later. She knew then that there was something about him, but couldn't admit it. They fit together you know?"

"Unfortunately, I am beginning to see that," he mumbled.

Snow looked at him, pecked him on the cheek, and replied, "Good! It's about time you started to see that he is more than just 'a pirate'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed some lines from OUAT s3e7. I thought they proved the point Killian and Snow were trying to make. It's taken me a bit longer to get to the main action than I had anticipated. It's getting there, soon, I promise.


	4. Hope

Regina stalked down the street until she heard Henry calling after her. She knew he could not see how upset she really was, so she schooled her features and turned around to look at him.

"Mom, I...this sucks."

That was most decidedly not what she had been expecting from him. She couldn't help but smile a little bit and agree with him. "Yes, it really does, but watch the language ok?"

They walked arm in arm back to her house in silence. Neither of them really knew what to say to the other. Regina was afraid if she said anything she would start cursing Emma Swan. She also realized there was no point. She didn't do it on purpose. She obviously hadn't even known who the woman was. She knew she needed to share this with Henry, needed to reassure her that she wasn't going to go after his other mother, even if every bone in her body wanted to.

"Henry," she started.

"Regina, wait up!"

Regina whipped around, realizing who's voice she was hearing. It couldn't be. Why would he be following her home? His wife was effectively back from the dead. They had a lot to catch up on, like her telling him it was Regina who had her killed in the original timeline. She watched Robin cautiously. She had no idea what this conversation was going to be.

"Robin, my mom has had a rough night. You both got a huge surprise tonight, and maybe tonight is not the night to be talking about it," Henry stated quickly.

Regina looked at him, and her heart swelled with pride. He knew why Marian had been in her dungeon, but he still was looking after her, or trying to in his own way.

"Perhaps you are right lad. I do need to say this though," he paused and looked at her. "I know you aren't the same woman who captured my wife, who ordered her execution, or who left my son motherless. The woman I have feelings for, left those things behind, doesn't exist anymore. However, I cannot abandon Marian. She is not dead. Her son needs her and I need to be there for both of them..."

Regina couldn't take it anymore, so she nodded in understanding, and continued walking home with Henry by her side, silent tears falling down her face. Henry wrapped his arm around her waist as they continued walking.

"You know," Henry said, "he didn't say the woman I used to have feelings for. He said the woman he has feelings for."

Regina looked at him. Really looked at him and was surprised to see that he was a lot older than she remembered. It wasn't just the year that they had been apart either.

"When did you get so old?" she asked him.

"Sometime between escaping from Peter Pan and convincing the 'Evil Queen' she was a hero," he replied almost immediately. "Come on Mom, we have popcorn to eat and a movie to watch."

As he walked into the kitchen to make the popcorn, she just stared after him. He really has grown. She knew it wasn't due to her great parenting skills, or at least not all of it was anyway. She knew he took after Emma and even Snow White a lot more than he took after her. Right now, she was extremely grateful for it. Snow's optimism was exactly what she needed right now. She smiled and followed him into the kitchen.

"Henry," she started, "I know I said some mean things to Emma at Granny's...I just want you to know that I will not be seeking revenge against her. I give you my word. I know she wasn't trying to hurt me or ruin my happiness. I get that it was an accident and she felt she had to save Marian."

Henry sighed. Why was he sighing at her?

"Mom, she did have to save Marian. She wouldn't be the savior if she hadn't. It does stink that it has put a pause on you and Robin Hood, but we know that it isn't the end. If it was he wouldn't have come to you tonight. I know you won't go after Emma, and I also know that it is going to be hard for you to be civil towards her right now, but I need you to try to be. I hated it before when you two were at each others' throats and I will hate it again if that becomes the case. I want to split my time between you both, but I can't do that if you two can't get along, and if not get along, at least be civil to one another."

Regina's jaw dropped. Clearly Henry had been spending way too much time with Snow White. That little speech was evidence enough of that. She didn't know what to say to him. She latched onto the one thing in his speech that made her feel good.

"You want to split your time between us?"

"Of course I do, you're both my moms. It is a bit of a weird situation, but we are not a normal family."

Regina couldn't help herself, she laughed out loud, surprising Henry. He joined in on her laughter after a few seconds.

"You are right about that," she said. We are not a normal family by any stretch of the word. I promise you, I will do my absolute best to be civil with Emma. Before her trip back in time, I kind of started to like her, a little, but don't tell her that ok? It can be our secret."

Henry smiled and nodded. He looked out the window and frowned before smiling again.

"I didn't think it was supposed to snow tonight."

"It wasn't as far as I knew. Must just be a sign that we're supposed to build a snowman in the morning," she said to him, knowing he would jump at the chance.

"That sounds great Mom. So what do you want to watch tonight?" he said as they walked into the living room to begin their cozy evening.

Regina smiled as she followed him. Considering the way her life changed less than an hour ago, she was feeling pretty good about it. Henry had come to her, put faith in her, and wanted to continue seeing her regularly.

As she got into bed later that night, she replayed the conversation with Robin in the street. He had said the woman he has feelings for and he had never actually said he was going back to his wife...

Hope was always a good thing. Perhaps she had been spending too much time with Snow White herself...and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry has always kind of felt like a running commentary to me. He's constantly telling the other characters what they need to do to get their happy ending, and here I wrote something I would like to see a bit more of from him-his protectiveness of his family. Everyone is always trying to protect him, so I thought it was sweet that he had Regina's back like that.


	5. Teasing the Pirate

Emma ran down the stairs and out into the night intent on finding Killian so they could sort out this mess. As the night air hit her face she shivered. It had gotten really cold since she walked into the loft. It must have dropped at least 15 degrees, and it had started snowing.

"I didn't think it was supposed to snow tonight," she murmured to herself. "Henry will be thrilled. He and Regina can build a snowman in the morning."

She smiled thinking about her little man, and what a little man he had become. He wanted to make sure Regina was alright, and he was the only one who could have done that tonight. She really hated that she had ruined Robin and Regina, but there was nothing she could do about it. If she could go back, she would do the same thing again. She couldn't condemn an innocent person to death, no matter what the cost. She would take whatever Regina dished out because she had ruined something for her, and she needed to lash out.

Emma shook her head, clearing away any thoughts of Regina. Right now she needed to find Killian. Since she had originally found him at the docks, there were only 2 places he could possibly be now.

"Well Emma, The Rabbit Hole or Granny's?" she paused for just a second thinking, then decided he'd have headed for Granny's. That's where she would be if their situations had be reversed.

Standing outside his door, she paused for a moment, trying to clear her head. How was she going to start this conversation with him.

From inside she heard a moan of pain. Without thinking, she kicked the door in and searched the room for him. He was laying on the bed under the blankets, curled up like a child. He sat up immediately and grabbed his sword. She just stared at him for a moment, trying to decide where the moan of pain had come from. When she met his eyes, she realized she knew exactly where the moan of pain had come from...from him. He was hurt.

"Are you alright Swan?" he asked cautiously.

"Ummm, yes? Are you?"

"I think so. Why are you here?"

"I heard a moan from your room. It sounded like you, or someone, was hurt. I just wanted to make sure you, or whoever it was, was ok."

"That is very courteous of you Sheriff," he replied a little stiffly. "Tell me now, who else do you think would be in my room?"

Emma knew this was going nowhere and going nowhere fast. He was hurt, she had hurt him by pretending she was indifferent to him for months, and then again when he had been trying to talk sense into her while they were battling it out with Zelena, not to mention her inability to say anything to him tonight during their conversation on the docks. She could tell him anything else about herself. Why couldn't she just say she had feelings for him? She just had to say it.

"I'm not sure. You're a handsome guy. Maybe you got tired of waiting for me to..."

The look on his face made her stop mid-sentence. She had just hurt him again, and hadn't even been trying to.

"What I was trying to say,"

"I know what you were trying to say," he mumbled. "I'm a pirate, and therefore I cannot possibly mean it when I say that I'm in it for the long haul, or that I truly care about someone. I'm just.."

"Oh shut up Hook!" Emma yelled. "That is not what I meant by that at all. I know you care about me, and I want to talk to you about that."

He looked at her in surprise. "Well you wanted to talk? Let's talk," he said as he sat all the way up.

Lord help her. He wasn't wearing a shirt. She stared openly at his chest, unable to look away. His chest and abdomen were well muscled from years of working his ship. His arms, usually hidden by his shirt, were well toned and practically begged to be touched. He had a smattering of freckles on his shoulders she'd never had cause to notice before. He arched his brow at her, but she still couldn't look away. He scratched behind his ear and cleared his throat, which finally brought her eyes back to his face. She could feel her cheeks flame, but knew if she didn't do this now, she would regret it.

She looked around the room for somewhere to sit, but found no chairs. Clearly she and Henry had the best room at Granny's. She walked closer to him to sit on the edge of the bed. As she moved closer, she noticed him pull his legs closer to himself so that they would not have reason to touch on the bed. It hurt her that he didn't want to touch her. She paused, thinking about what he had been saying when she walked up to him on the docks...something about never touching her again. That was just out of the question. She surprised him and herself a bit, by kicking off her shoes, pulling up his covers and getting under them with him.

"Bloody Hell Swan! What are you doing? You're freezing!" he yelled as he scooted away from her.

"You made a grand gesture, so I thought I would make one too, though not as grand as yours. I don't want you to never touch me again. I've sort of come to rely on your touch to keep me tethered to the here and now," she rushed out.

"Um, alright Love. I can keep touching you, if that's what you want," he said without the slightest bit of innuendo. He slowly started inching back towards her on the bed.

"I went to talk to my mom and dad after I left the docks," she looked at him and saw that he was giving her his full attention. "I was visibly upset after what I thought was you rejecting me and I..."

A strangled sound stopped her mid-sentence. She looked at him, and met his eyes.

"YOU THOUGHT WHAT?!" he yelled at her.

"Let me finish pirate. I have a lot to say."

It warmed her considerably, that he was upset because she thought he had been rejecting her. She jumped back into their conversation, explaining what her parents had said. As she was explaining, she moved closer to him until they were touching each other shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, thigh to thigh. It was comforting to be sitting like this, but she knew she had to keep going and tell him what she really wanted to tell him.

"I have more than trust when it comes to you. I have respect...admiration...fondness...I don't just trust you. I genuinely like you. I have feelings for you. I care about you. I want you in my life as more than just my friend babysitter and confidant. I can't say I love you, because I'm not sure of that yet, and I won't say it unless I absolutely know it to be true, but there are feelings."

She sat there in silence, waiting for him to say something or do something. He just sat there looking at her for a minute.

"So what I'm hearing from you Swan, is that you like me but aren't sure if you love me. Do you think that you might love me one day?"

Without hesitation she responded, "Yes."

"Well, that, that I can live with," he said, as he oh so tenderly cradled her head and kissed her. Emma felt it in her toes and she sighed into him. He pulled back from her slightly.

"Now what do we do?" he asked her. "I don't want to assume anything here Love, and I don't want to cause you embarrassment, so where are we exactly?"

She smiled at him, and said, "Well we could go on a date, and see what happens from there. That's what normal people do in this realm." Seeing his confusion, she explained, "A date is when 2 people go out together to have fun and get to know each other better. From what I understand, it is similar to what you may call courting, but in this realm, it's a little different."

"A date hmm?" he winked at her, "it sounds to me that we've already had several of those, starting with the beanstalk, then Rumpelstiltskin's prison, Neverland, New York, here in Storybrooke... "

"I was talking more along the lines of dinner in nice clothes, maybe a movie, or a walk or something, where it is just us, with no villains chasing after us."

"So now what I'm hearing Swan, is that you want to make yourself more attractive for me and be alone with me?"

"Don't make me regret coming over here Pirate. Are you in or not?"

"Oh Love, I'm always in when it comes to spending time with you."

"Good, you can pick me up at 6 tomorrow from the loft," she said as she got out of his bed and put on her shoes. "Oh, and Killian, wear something nice. I don't kiss on the first date, but maybe you can change my mind about it."

She walked out grinning ear to ear. His face when she told him to wear something nice was priceless. Almost as priceless as his face when she said she didn't kiss on the first date. This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that these two are going to be a little awkward at first until they get a firm foothold on where they actually stand with each other. I kept going back and forth with how I wanted this conversation to go, and I think I finally struck the right balance of uncomfortable relationship conversations and teasing banter.


	6. An Apology

David woke up to quiet crying, and not Neal's either. He immediately jumped out of bed and searched for Snow. When he found her he wrapped his arms around her.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked voice tense.

"Why would you think something is wrong?" Snow asked.

"Snow, you're crying. Something is clearly wrong."

"Am I?" she asked as she touched her face. "I guess I am," she said with a smile. "Oh don't look at me like that, I'm still hormonal from Neal, but I'm actually very very happy."

"You are?" David asked with more than a hint of concern in his voice.

"Oh yes! Emma called early this morning. She found Killian last night and talked with him. She told him she had feelings for him, and do you know what his response was?" she rushed on, as if she hadn't asked a question. "He wanted to know what that meant for them. He's letting her take the lead and he's not pushing her. He's really in it for the long haul with her. He truly does love her."

"So you are crying because the pirate loves our daughter?"

"Oh no, I already knew he loved her. That is not new news. I'm crying because she told him they should go on a date tonight, and that he should pick her up from here. We get to be a part of her first date with him. She asked me to help her get ready and if we'd keep Henry if he's not staying with Regina tonight."

David couldn't help but smile at that. His little girl, alright full grown daughter, was going on a date and she wanted them to be a part of it. She was giving them all an opportunity that they had never gotten to experience.

"I'm glad we get to play the parent card tonight then. Should I go out and buy a shotgun to scare Hook with?" he asked in a teasing tone.

His wife suddenly looked horrified. "Don't you dare ruin this for us. If you do, she may shut us out of this part of her life, and I will not forgive you for that."

"Snow, I was just joking. I may not have cared for the pirate in the beginning, but he has proven himself several times in regards to Emma. I know he cares for her, and he has changed because he wants to be someone worthy of her. As I told her last night, I thought Prince Charles was a good man, and that opinion didn't change learning who he really was."

Snow looked at him carefully. "If you really feel that way, you would call him Killian, not Hook or pirate. You would use his given name."

David thought about it for a while, and realized she was right. He also thought about the days leading up to Neal's birth and how he and everyone else had jumped to the wrong conclusion about him. And how even though it was made abundantly clear he wasn't welcome, he still came to help protect Snow and the baby. Yea, he needed to go have his own conversation with Killian.

"Will you be alright with the baby for a little while? I have to go run an errand."

Snow nodded at him and gave him that smile she gave him whenever she knew she had made her point and had thus won an argument he didn't even know they were having.

David got dressed quickly and grabbed his keys on the way out the door. When he made it outside he was surprised to see at least 6 inches of snow on the ground. When did it start snowing? Since no snow plows had come through yet, he decided to walk to Granny's. It was much safer that way.

He walked through the Diner to get coffee on the way through to see Killian. It was really cold out today. He hoped Killian hadn't planned anything outside for his date with Emma. He walked up the stairs slowly, trying to decide exactly how to say what he needed to say. He knew I'm sorry wouldn't' really cut it but it was a starting point he guessed. He knocked on Killian's door, wondering for the first time, why he wasn't staying on the Jolly Roger.

Killian opened the door and was very obviously confused. "Your highness," he paused, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Cut the crap Killian, you know why I'm here."

"No mate, I'm actually not sure why you are here, but come on in, and you can fill me in. Is that for me?" he pointed at the second coffee in David's hand.

"Uhh, yes, here," David said as he handed the coffee to him. He looked around the room for somewhere to sit, but finding nothing, stood in the middle of the small room debating how to begin.

"Thanks for the coffee, it is one thing of this realm I truly to enjoy."

"You're welcome. It has gotten rather cold since yesterday. I thought..." he stopped. This is not why he was here.

"Look Killian, I owe you an apology. I know I'm sorry won't even begin to cover it, but I needed to say it. You've done nothing but try to help Emma since you met her, and by association, the rest of us. I specifically have treated you unfairly because of the man you used to be, before you met her. This was not fair of me, and I truly am sorry."

Killian looked awestruck. "Your family is really good at giving speeches that I have a hard time responding to mate." He paused. "I appreciate it, more than you know. I truly do care about Emma, and having you hate me would really hurt any relationship we may come to have."

"Speaking of relationships with my daughter, what have you planned for her tonight?"

Killian scratched behind his ear, "I don't know mate. She told me to dress nice, mentioned something about dinner, maybe a movie, what's a movie? And something about a walk...If it is as cold as you say, that may be out of the question. I'm not sure how this works here, or what she is expecting from me. I don't want to embarrass her."

David looked at Killian and smiled, realizing for the first time that his daughter made the man nervous. Not in a bad way, but because he didn't want to disappoint her, and that comforted him beyond measure. He decided he was going to help the man out, but first he needed to get Henry and Snow on board.

"I'll tell you what," David started, "I love Emma, and she clearly has feelings for you, so I'll help you out here. I can see that you are out of your element here, and you really want this to work. Stop by the Sheriff's station at 12:30, don't come in though, I don't want Emma to know what we're up to. I'll be outside waiting for you and we can go on from there. I'll get Henry and Snow to help out too."

Killian looked at him with relief, "Thank you your highness."

"David, Killian, call me David."

"Thank you David."

David was smiling as he walked out of Killian's room, until he saw Emma walking out of her room at the same time. There was nowhere to hide, and he froze.

"Wasn't it you a little over a year ago, who reminded me he was a married man and would stay away from Killian?" she said with a smirk.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he said and grinned at her. "What have you got there?" he asked motioning to a pile of clothes in her arms.

"Clothes to try on for mom before I go out with Killian tonight," she paused "It won't make her sad will it? Helping me get ready for my date?"

David smiled at his daughter and said, "Nothing would make her happier. She's been crying about it since early this morning, she's that happy."

He took the clothes from her telling her he'd bring it to the loft before he came in to work at the station.

"Thanks Dad."

"You're welcome Emma."

When he walked back into the house with all of Emma's clothes, Snow stopped dead. Before she could even accuse him of something he said "Emma's clothes, we've gotta help Killian plan something good for tonight. He's so lost in this realm."

Snow responded by kissing him and then said "I'll call Henry, you call Once Upon a Tine and make a reservation for them."

David made the call grinning to himself. Emma was going to have one hell of a date tonight.


	7. Runaway

Regina was surprised that there was so much snow on the ground when they awoke the next morning, but she wasn't going to complain. Henry loved the snow and she had previously missed out on so many of the things he loved because she was so hell bent on her revenge. She was dedicating the whole day to playing in the snow if he wanted.

"Henry," she called to him, "I made you hot chocolate to drink before we head outside."

"That's great mom! Thanks!" he said as he walked into the kitchen. He stood at the counter and drank it all in one giant gulp.

"Anxious are we?" she asked.

"There is just so much snow out there, and I want to use it all to make a snow castle."

"Well a snow castle we shall make," she responded enthusiastically.

The pair got dressed and made their way outside. It had been a long time since Regina had been out in the snow, and she had forgotten just how much fun it could be to lose yourself in the white powder. She and Henry played all morning, and made the largest snow castle Henry had ever seen. He even consented to a little bit of magic to make it a little more stable.

When they finally made their way inside, Regina made some hot chocolate for them both and they sat on the couch drinking and creating a story about the castle's inhabitants. Henry insisted that there were twin sisters living in the castle and they were fair and just rulers. Their kingdom was a happy, if cold, one and everyone got their happily ever after. Regina kept insisting, there was a wise old queen in the castle who had a very smart son who kept the kingdom running smoothly.

They were still discussing who lived in their castle when there was a knock at the door. Regina got up and went to the door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Roland by himself shaking visibly.

"Roland, what are you doing here? Where are your parents?" she asked very gently.

"Regina, they yelled. I ran away." he said holding back the tears.

"Oh sweetheart, sometimes adults yell when they are upset, but they aren't upset with you. We need to let your mom and dad know that you are alright, that you are safe. It is very cold outside today. You could get sick."

She walked Roland into the house, leading him into the living room with Henry. Henry looked at her with a question ready to leave his mouth. She shook her head and mouthed "later" to him. He understood and greeted Roland.

"Hi Roland, it's nice to see you again. Did you come to play with me?"

Roland looked hard at Henry, "Are you going to yell like my mom and dad?"

Henry put the pieces together from there. Regina could see it in his face. He gently took Roland's hand. "No, Roland, I am not going to yell. How about we find you some of my old clothes, and you and I can go play out in the snow for a bit while my mom lets your parents know where you are?"

Regina was at a loss. She wasn't actually sure how to get in touch with Robin or Marian. Robin had set up camp in the woods, and there was no phone nearby and he hadn't gotten one yet. Since Marian had just come back the night before, she wouldn't have one. She sighed, and thought she would have to call Emma. Once Robin and Marian realized he was missing, they would probably go to her anyway.

She pulled out the phone and dialed the sheriff's station. When Emma answered, she launched into the whole story leaving out no details in case Emma thought she had taken Roland instead of him coming to her.

"Regina, I know you didn't kidnap him," Emma said softly. "His parents argued, he's probably never heard it before and didn't know what it meant. He feels safe with you, and that's why he went to you."

Regina didn't know what to say. She had not been expecting Emma to buy her story.

"You sound like you understand what he is experiencing Ms. Swan."

"I remember all too well the first argument I ever heard between one set of my foster parents. I was probably just a little older than Roland, and I had no idea what it meant. I ran, I ran far, but unlike Roland, I didn't have someone I could count on to keep my safe. I was picked up by the police and put back in a home. My foster parents decided I was too much trouble to keep around after that."

Regina could think of nothing to say to that. How horrible it must have been for her to not know anything about her past.

Regina took a deep breath and continued, "Should you come get him so when Robin and Marian realize he's gone..." she stopped.

Emma realized what an awkward position Regina was in and did not want to make it any more uncomfortable for her.

"What would you like me to do? He's fine there with you and Henry, or I can come get him. He knows you well and he likes Henry."

Regina thought for a second. "It would become very awkward if they had to come here. Why don't you pick Roland and Henry both up? Henry can hang out with him at the station, this way he won't be completely bored and you can actually get some work done."

"Are you sure? I can entertain Roland myself. Henry can stay with you."

"Ms. Swan, I appreciate what it is you are trying to do, but to be honest, this arrangement is best for everyone involved."

"Ok, I'll be there as soon as I can. This snow is making getting around town really tough. The snow plow's engine is frozen, so we can't even plow the road. I had to use magic to melt the road between Granny's and the station."

"Oh, I didn't realize it was that severe. Perhaps I should use some magic as well to help clear off the roads."

"That would be great Regina. You're magic is much more controlled than mine."

"I'll see you soon Ms. Swan."

She hung up, and looked out the window. The snow had stopped, but it was clearly still very cold outside. She worried about the boys playing in it, so called them in and sat them in front of the fire with hot chocolate until Emma showed up.

After they left, she went outside and started melting the snow in the streets. It took much more magic than it should have. Snow should melt quickly when her flames touch it, but this snow was not. She was needing to use at least double the normal amount of magic. She blamed it on her emotional distress, and after an hour, she went back home.

Seeing Roland was hard. So much harder than she thought it should have been. He had come to rely on her in the short time they had known each other. She could not be a part of his life right now, just as she could not be a part of Robin's. She curled up in her bed, and cried until she could cry no more.


	8. Odd Things

What is with this day? First seeing her dad come out of Killian's room this morning, she would definitely have to talk to him about that later. Second, this snow was weird. There was something off about it, but she didn't know what. It took way too much magic to melt it. Third, and probably most important, was Roland's runaway act to Regina's. Emma knew without a doubt that the boy had run away and had run to Regina. Anyone with any type of vision could see the way the little boy adored Regina.

Unfortunately, Marian did not feel that way. She was in fact very adamant that Emma arrest Regina for kidnapping. Emma understood Marian's distrust of Regina not being the Evil Queen anymore, but it felt like a little more to her. She wondered what Robin and Marian had been arguing about the morning after she reappeared alive and well...

Henry, her wonderful, wonderful son, realized what was going on and came to clarify a few things for Marian. Robin stayed oddly quiet throughout the whole conversation, and Emma wondered about that as well. What finally made Marian stop her raving, was when Roland told her to stop being mean. Marian just looked at him and Roland told her matter of factly that they were yelling, he didn't like it and he went somewhere that made him happy. Marian had nothing to say to that and got quite red. She apologized to Emma for telling her how to do her job, and then apologized to Henry for speaking ill of his other mother.

By 12:30 she was ready for a break. She wanted a hot cocoa with cinnamon on top like nothing she had ever wanted.

"Hey Kid, want to see if your grandpa will watch the station, while you and I get lunch from Granny's?"

There was no response.

"Kid?" Nothing.

"Dad?" Again nothing.

What was going on here? Where were they? She looked outside just in time to see her dad, her son and Killian getting into her dad's truck.

She pulled out her cell and called her mom. If anyone knew what those 3 were up to it would be her. Unfortunately, her mother's phone went to voicemail. She never turns her phone off. She's too much of a worry wart for that, and Neal isn't due to nap for another 30 minutes.

"What the hell?" she murmured to herself. "What am I going to do for lunch now?"

She grabbed her phone again, and texted Ruby.

Is there any way you could deliver me food today?

Everyone has abandoned me and I can't leave the station.

I know it's cold. I'll owe you a big one.

Ruby responded a few seconds later.

I'm on my lunch break. Can you wait an hour?

"Dammit! But I'm hungry now," she whined to nobody.

"Well since I have nothing else to do, I guess I can finish typing up the report for Roland's run away act."

She sat down and began typing away. She put in Roland's statement, Henry's statement, Regina's statement and Marian's. Hmm..Robin really had said nothing besides thank you. It was odd, she thought. He had survived with his son for years after Marian had died. Roland was his life. It was unlike him to say nothing about something so obviously important, and she put that in the report as well.

Emma looked around the station and wondered what to do with herself. As she was looking she smelled the most amazing scent on earth: Granny's hot cocoa. She spun around in her seat assuming it was Ruby, but was surprised to see it was Killian instead.

"Hello Love, I brought you some sustenance." He held the hot chocolate out to her and placed a white bag on her desk,

"Well thank you," she said cautiously.

"Whats the matter Swan?" he replied just as cautiously.

"Well that depends on what you were doing with my dad and son."

Killian colored a little, which was something she did not get to see often, and she knew it had to be good. She had to know what they had been doing.

"Oh, nothing really. They just thought it a good idea for me to become a bit more accustomed to life here in Storybrooke," he paused, "more like they gave me a tour."

"Did they now? Anything new since the tour I gave you at your request last week?"

Killian colored again, and scratched behind his ear. He smiled at her, a smile meant to disarm and distract her from her line of questioning, but she knew better.

"Well love, when I was touring the town with you, I didn't really look at the town so much as I was looking at you," he said with a wink. "There's a reason I stayed behind you as you showed me the town." With that, he turned and walked out of the station.

Emma's mouth was still hanging open when he walked back in a second later.

"Just so you know Swan, I cannot wait for our date tonight. Be prepared to be swept off your feet. A word of caution though. I do not kiss on the first date either, at least not without a little...persuasion. I don't think you're really up to the task." He grinned at her when she said nothing, "I'll see you at 6 Love."

That sneaky pirate. He had disarmed and distracted her! How could she let his words and smile distract her? Well two can play at this game. He's mine at 6, and then I can show him how persuasive I can be.


	9. Getting Ready

"So do you know what Henry, Dad and Killian were up to around 12:30 this afternoon?" said Emma as she walked into the loft.

Snow looked at Emma in false surprise, "Why would you think I know anything about that?"

Emma groaned, "You didn't actually answer my question, so I'm assuming you know exactly what they were up to. Since you've been avoiding my calls and texts all day, I'm also assuming you don't want to, or can't, tell me for whatever reason."

She picked up her clothes off the couch and made her way to change. She looked at Snow and with a grin said, "It don't think it really matters. However, he isn't going to know what hit him tonight."

While Emma was trying on outfits for her date with Killian, Snow paced back and forth outside the room. Snow had been blown away by Emma's insistence that Killian wasn't going to know what hit him tonight. Something must have happened between them when she sent Killian in with Emma's lunch earlier. She didn't want Emma to forget this wasn't about a competition with the man. For crying out loud he gave up his home for her, to get to her, to save her, and everyone else in Storybrooke. Determined, Snow went to knock on the door as Emma opened it and walked out. Snow gasped as she took her in.

"That's what I was going for," grinned Emma.

Snow looked at the dress Emma was wearing. It was red, sleeveless and short, but not too short. It fit her like a glove and Snow thought she looked beautiful. It certainly wasn't something that Snow would wear, ever, but it suited Emma.

"You look beautiful! What are you doing with your hair?"

"I was thinking I would leave it... down?" Emma asked.

"I agree, but we need to do something with it. Oh, Curls! Curls would be perfect. It's a good thing I plugged in my curling iron."

Emma laughed and went with Snow to the bathroom. She had Emma sit on the toilet so she could curl her hair for her. She was thinking about how to broach the subject with Emma. She had had her misgivings in the beginning, and even tried pushing her towards Neal, but Killian clearly made her happy, and whats more, she trusted him. Snow knew for Emma what a huge deal that actually is. She didn't want her to forget that this was supposed to be about the two of them having fun, not trying to best each other.

"Emma..." Snow started, as she turned her head around to face her, "I know that our Mother-Daughter talks typically end in one or both of us close to or in tears, but I think I have to say this. I figure it is better now before you finish your make up, just in case."

She paused thinking Emma would have something to say, but when she saw her daughter just sitting there looking at her expectantly she continued, "I know that the relationship you and Killian have could be considered different. You two are so similar, and you work well together. You actually listen to him, and take what he has to say to heart, even when you don't like what he has to say, even if he has to say it repeatedly in different ways. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be here, not just in the sense that he brought you back to break the curse, but you wouldn't be here. You and Henry would be back in New York, away from everyone who loves you. I know you two banter and compete and you argue and you fight, you remind me of another couple I know," she smiled. "I want you to remember though, that even though you two do those things, in the end, he is all in for you. He wants to win your heart, and he has done it the right way, no trickery. I Just..."

Emma cut her off, "Mom, I know. Trust me I know. He gave up his ship for me. I know what that means, even if I don't like to think about it too much. I wouldn't go out with him if I didn't know what could potentially develop here. I genuinely like him, innuendo and all. He's been good to me and Henry, and he came back here knowing he wasn't well liked by anyone to make sure I succeeded. I don't take that lightly, but I won't change who I am when I am with him just because he did all those things. I am who I am, and if he can't accept that, then he's not the one for me. I'm not going to challenge him to make him back off, I'm challenging him to make sure he can handle it, me."

Snow just stared, open mouthed. She couldn't believe Emma had just spilled her guts like that. She must really have a lot of feelings for him, besides just genuinely liking him, to defend herself and her actions that way. Snow smiled to herself thinking her daughter was definitely hers.

"Ok then," Snow smiled as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Let's finish your hair and we can finish up your make up."

Snow finished her hair in record time and sprayed a bit of hair spray to set it. Then she rapidly set to Emma's make up. As she finished, she held up a mirror so Emma could examine herself. When she smiled, Snow knew she had done what Emma wanted.

"You might just kill him tonight, you know that right? He hasn't seen you in a modern dress yet. I'm pretty sure he's going to die when he walks in. Oh and your father probably will do. Speaking of which...where is he? He should be here by now. It's almost 6:00."

Emma shrugged as Snow's Cell phone rang. Looking at the caller id, she saw that it was Charming. A feeling of dread passed over her. She knew immediately something was not right.

"What's wrong?" she answered.

"It's...bad," he whispered. "I need you to send Emma to Gold's shop. Don't alarm her. I don't know how she'll react to this. She just needs to get down here now. And tell her to wear as much as she possibly can. The temperature has dropped again, but at least now I know why." He paused for a second, probably letting Snow take in all of what he had just said. "While you're at it see if you can't get Regina down here too. Her magic would probably help too."

At that he hung up, leaving Snow staring at her phone. Based on what he said, things were bad at Gold's shop, but what he didn't say made it clear that things were really bad. Emma needed to go to the shop, but what was waiting for her was going to be decidedly bad. Emma usually keeps a cool head. Maybe she'll handle this just as well. She's survived Henry almost dying, getting separated from him and ending up in the Enchanted Forest, rescuing him from Peter Pan in Neverland, and then there was her whole stint as a time traveler...She could handle this too.

"Emma, something has come up. You're dad said he needs you at Gold's shop, and to wear a jacket or two. The temperature has dropped again."

"What aren't you telling me?" she responded as she started to get her jacket on.

"I'm not sure actually. Something is wrong, very wrong, but I don't actually know who is involved. David said he didn't want you to be alarmed, which makes me think that Henry is involved somehow, but you said he went back to Regina's right?"

"Yes, he did. I dropped him off there after the boys had their 'tour' of Storybrooke," she said as she exchanged her high heels for her more practical black boots. "And we both know that nothing is going to happen to him while he's with Regina."

"Well that's the thing. He also asked me to call Regina because her magic would be helpful too."

The two women looked at each other as it dawned on them. It couldn't be Henry. If it was, David knew exactly how Emma would respond to him being in some danger.

"Oh Shit!" Emma yelled as she flew out the door.

"Oh please be ok Killian," snow whispered before she called Regina.


	10. Icy Reception

David hung up the phone and slowly in the direction of Gold's shop. He didn't dare get too close because the closer he got to the shop, the colder it got, and after he saw what had happened to Killian, he knew he couldn't risk it.

He glanced again at the man who appeared to be exiting the shop, with his back towards him. He was concerned for the man since he was frozen in ice. He knew that he needed to thaw him and quickly, but he had no means to do so.

"I wish I could see who it is," murmured David.

"It's Rumple," whispered a familiar voice a little distance away.

"Belle? Are you sure?"

"Oh I'm sure alright. I was there when it happened. Rumple magicked me out of the shop as soon as he saw her in there. He must have been trying to get out too, that's why he is almost outside, but not quite. Who is that laying on the ground?" she said as she walked closer to David.

"Killian," he responded somberly.

"Wait, why was Hook anywhere near Rumple? They may have buried the hatchet, kind of, but the feelings of resentment haven't gone away yet. I didn't think Hook was stupid."

David sighed before answering, "That would be my fault I think. He and Emma were supposed to go on a date tonight, and I may have mentioned that a gift would be a really nice touch. He must have been on his way to see if Gold had anything that would fit the bill. Though I agree it is odd that he would have gone to Gold's shop. You didn't see him when Rumple magicked you out?"

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry. But, what I don't get is why he is on the floor. Rumple is frozen, but what happened to Hook? Is he hurt or playing hurt to trick the witch?" Belle whispered to David as they watched a flash of white hurtle out a window of the shop, freezing everything in its path.

Again, David sighed before answering, hating himself for the words getting ready to come out of his mouth, "She zapped him. She yelled something at him about Arendale, and then that white light came out of her hands and hit him in the chest. It was different than the magic she used to freeze Gold. This magic was more dangerous. I could feel it. I think he knows who she is, or she knows who he is. I'm also afraid that he's dead."

"Arendale?" Belle thought for a moment. "That sounds vaguely familiar."

"Belle, can you go see what you can find about Arendale? I know you want to stay here with Gold, but there isn't anything we can do until Emma or Regina get here. They're the ones with the magic. They'll be the ones who can get him out. I'll send someone to get you as soon as we get him back."

He thought she was going to refuse him at first, but tears streaming down her face, she nodded and walked away from him towards the library. David once again turned his attention to the front of Gold's shop, hoping he would see Killian stir. Instead, he saw ice bricks piling themselves up around Gold's shop, effectively cutting David off from both Killian and Gold. He sighed and moved farther away from the shop as the temperature continued to drop.

He knew things were only going to get worse if he made any kind of move towards the shop. With 2 lives on the line, he wasn't willing to gamble, especially when one of the lives was the man his daughter was dating.

"I have no quarrel with you man, so leave us now. These 2 men and I have unfinished business," he heard the witch say.

Before he could even respond he heard a voice he knew all too well responding back, "What unfinished business do you have with Killian Jones?"

David was filled with awe and pride as his daughter challenged the witch, but his heart also broke at the same time because now that she was here, she would notice the same thing that he had, that Killian wasn't moving at all, it didn't even look like he was breathing. He watched as she stepped closer to the shop, shouting when he saw a white light come shooting towards her. She held out her hand, and the ice ball melted as fire spurted out from her hands.

"I'll ask you again," said Emma, "what unfinished business do you have with Killian Jones?"

David watched as she once again melted an ice ball aimed at her, heart in his throat. He did not like this position he was in. He was used to being a hero, the one that did the saving. It was oddly uncomfortable to be standing there while his daughter batted away ice balls while he stood there and watched her. He knew that he couldn't defend himself from the witch, but he needed to do something. So he slowly started backing away intending to go around back and at least see if he could find or see anything useful.

As he moved slowly around the building, he was able to really look at Emma and was shocked at the expression on her face. She was more than just angry, she was furious, and she was also panic-stricken, but nobody that didn't know her would pick up on that. David realized she must have noticed that Killian wasn't moving. He knew he needed to move faster. Hoping Emma could keep the witch distracted long enough so that he could find a way past the ice bricks and get to the pirate, he started to pick up the pace.

"I am not blind, but you will be frozen," was all David heard before he was knocked down to the ground by a blur of red.

"Thanks Emma."

"NOT my dad," she yelled at the witch, and she hurled a giant fireball in the direction of Gold's shop.

David watched as it melted the ice bricks around the shop and part of the ice that had frozen Gold. He watched as Emma ran to the shop hands held out like weapons, shooting fire as she went. David realized she was trying to get Gold out without making it obvious. She would hit the ice block only every other time, and never in the same place. It was keeping the witch busy, but eventually she would notice.

All of a sudden, the witch screamed and Rumpelstiltskin was free from the ice cube prison he had been stuck in.

"Well, well, well, Elsa, long time no see. How exactly did you get here dearie?"

Before anyone could move, Elsa put an ice wall between herself and everyone else. Through the ice, David could see her running for the woods. She would be back, but at least there seems to be some fear of Gold. Perhaps that could work in their favor this time.

David turned and he watched Emma kneel to the ground next to Killian. He saw her touch his pulse point just as clearly as he saw her wish for him to still be alive. In that moment, David knew that his daughter loved the pirate. She may not know it yet, but she did. He couldn't bear to not be within her reach if she needed him, so he walked to her.

"He has a pulse," she sighed in relief.


	11. Echoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing, but I did borrow some quotes from season 3 episode 6.

He opened his eyes and knew immediately that he was in Echo Cave, and he cringed causing an immense amount of pain to shoot up and down his spine. He groaned trying to sit up, but found he couldn't move. He tried moving his head around but he couldn't. It was as if he was frozen on the spot. Panic seized him. He had no idea how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was walking past Rumpelstiltskin's shop and seeing a flash of blinding light.

All of a sudden he heard his voice echoing throughout the cave, "It's what the kiss exposed. My secret is I never thought I would be capable of letting go of my first love, My Milah, to believe that I could find someone else. That is until I met you."

It kept repeating over and over and Killian knew he was in his own personal hell. Only there would he have to listen to the words that changed his entire relationship with Emma Swan, the words that changed his life. Admitting that in front of her and her family meant there was no going back. He couldn't pretend anymore that it was just a game, and he had to admit that she really meant something to him. He had feelings for her, feelings he hadn't experienced in such a long time. And now she knew it too. She couldn't ignore his feelings

He was stuck listening to himself like a broken record player. He closed his eyes hoping it would block out the sounds, but that did no good at all because all he could see was her face. The genuine smile that was so rarely on her face.

"This isn't real. This can't be real," he said. "Wake up man! Wake up!"

"Killian! Killian! Wake up! Wake up!" He could swear he could hear her voice as he blacked out.


	12. Colder than Ice

"Killian! Killian! Wake up! Wake up!" Emma shouted. "You have a pulse, you aren't dead, so wake up! Get up!"

Emma grasped his shoulders hard, willing him to wake up. She felt a jolt of energy that could only be magic and looked up in alarm ready to spring into action.

"Sorry Dearie," Rumple said quietly. "I wasn't trying to frighten you, I was just checking to see if he was indeed still alive. He got hit in the chest with Elsa's magic. His heart should be frozen, and he should be dead by now, but you are right, he is still alive, if just barely."

Emma had 100 questions, but the one she asked first surprised herself.

"How do I fix this?" she asked. "What can we do to make him wake up?"

Rumpelstiltskin just stared at her with a look that Emma could only describe as regretful before answering in an even quieter voice than earlier, "You can't do anything. We can't make him wake up. The ice has him, and it will not let go."

"I don't buy that!" she shouted, frustrated beyond belief, "You are one of the most powerful magic practitioners of all time. Regina has said that time and time again. How is it that you can't reverse what she did? How is it that you can't heal him? She was in your vault for goodness sake! Didn't you ever think to..."

She stopped when she heard a car pull up to the shop. She watched Regina get out of the car and rush over to the small group.

"What happened here? Did the pirate piss off Rumpelstiltskin again?"

Emma just looked down at Killian and sighed. She knew she had to ask, knew that Regina was going to hate her for it, would probably turn her down immediately, considering what Emma had just done to her, but she had to ask. She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by David.

"He was hit in the chest with some ice magic by the person who is causing this crazy weather. Apparently Mr. Gold knows this woman, Elsa. She was in his vault but is here now."

"And how did she get here exactly?" Regina bit out, eyes blazing with recognition of the name.

"She had to have come back with us without our knowing about it," whispered Emma. She knew it was true. It had to be their fault that Storybrooke was once again in danger.

"I told you!" shouted Regina. "I told you that you'd better hope nothing else came back with you!"

"Regina, we all know that Miss Swan would never knowingly bring someone or something that could be dangerous to her boy, your boy, whatever you two are calling it. It was clearly an accident," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Of course you would side with her," Regina spat out. "Who wouldn't side with the savior?"

David stunned them all with a very loud, "Oh let it go Regina. You cursed us all here and you've taken countless lives intentionally. Yes, Emma hurt you, but it was unintentional. She was trying to help an innocent person escape certain death. So please, just stop. Be angry at the situation, but don't be angry with Emma anymore. Remember why Marian needed saving."

"Dad! That's not...That was not ok," said Emma. She was in shock. David never lost his cool like that. He was always so level headed, but that was unkind, and slightly cruel.

"Regina has every right to be angry with me. She can say what she likes. I did ruin her happiness."

"Ms. Swan, please stop. Your father is...cor...He's correct. If I hadn't been so hell bent on revenge against your mother, Marian would never have been in my dungeon. He is right," sighed Regina. "I also know you would never do anything to hurt our son, and that includes bringing a crazy ice bitch back from the past."

Emma was slightly shocked as she listened to Regina. Yes, Regina had changed in the time that she knew her, but she wasn't expecting something like this. She was expecting months of fighting if not years.

"Regina, is there anything you can think of to help Killian? He won't wake up. I can't wake him up."

"If he was hit in the chest with Elsa's magic, he should already by dead. His heart should be frozen. There is nothing that we can do for him. I'm sorry," Regina rushed.

Emma slumped down, and as she did, she felt David's hand on her shoulder. He told her he had called the hospital and they were on their way to get Hook. She was so distracted, she nearly forgot to ask about Elsa, but once she remembered to ask about her she was filled with more and more questions for Regina and Rumple.

Elsa was a princess from a land called Arendale. She was born with magic, ice magic to be exact, that she struggled to control her whole life. After a near death experience involving her sister, Elsa essentially went into hiding within the castle walls. Nobody ever saw her until her coronation, which ended up being a blast, of ice. She and her sister worked it all out, but Elsa never really truly controlled her magic, and since she could freeze a whole land in one go, Rumpelstiltskin thought it best to keep her "safely locked away"

"So she has a grudge against you? That's just fantastic," Regina said.

Again, David surprised Emma, "I think Hook must have done something to her too. She tried to kill him. She said something about Arendale before she went after him. She didn't try to freeze him like she did with Gold. She was intentional with her shot at Killian."

Emma heard the ambulance and saw the lights flashing and was distracted. If she was really honest, she didn't know what to say. Obviously Elsa had a grudge against Killian as well as Rumpelstiltskin. It may have just cost Killian his life.

She watched numbly as the paramedics got Killian on a stretcher and put him into the back of the ambulance.

"I'm going to ride with him. Can you come pick me up later?" Emma asked David.

"Of course, do you want me to follow now? I should give Mary Margaret an update. I'm sure she is losing it right about now not knowing."

"I'll just call you later. Go tell mom what is going on. Calm her down too, because you know she is going to go a little spastic with the pregnancy hormones especially when she finds out there is a crazy ice witch on the loose. Regina, you keep Henry for now. I doubt she'll come near him, but if she does, you are the better match against her."

Emma tried to give her dad a small smile, but it was lost as she heard something that sounded like a groan come from Killian. She raced to the ambulance and grabbed his hand as the paramedics closed the door.

She flinched and almost dropped his hand. He was freezing! She didn't understand how he could be so cold. She rode the rest of the way to the hospital avoiding thinking. She explained to the doctors and nurses what she knew of Elsa and her magic and what had happened to Killian.

Emma knew she needed to examine the feelings she was experiencing, but also knew she had too much to do to do that right now. She needed to make sure Killian was safe at the hospital. She had to call Henry and tell him what happened. She knew she was going to have to talk to her mom. She wasn't going to get around that conversation. Then there was the matter of the crazy ice princess that was on the loose. Oh and then she had to find a way to keep Killian alive...there was that too.

They had just made it back from the past. She had what, 12 hours since the last crisis ended before the next one began? She just wanted a moment of peace, and she had wanted it with Killain. She hated herself for that thought. This was her life, this was her destiny, her fate, but sometimes, she really just wanted to be a normal person with no powers. Was it really too much to ask for to have one night to go on a date?

She looked at him, noticing that he was becoming more and more pale as the day progressed. When she looked at her watch, she realized she had been sitting in the chair next to him for the last hour. She knew she needed to call David to come get her and they needed to come up with a plan for Elsa. Maybe Belle would know some more about her. Apparently, she was a fairy tale character too but wasn't really as well known.

She leaned over to him as David walked into the room and whispered into his ear, "Killian Jones, don't you give up. You stay alive while I'm away. You owe me a date."

She smiled a sad smile, and kissed him on the cheek before walking out of the room.


	13. It Would Break Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Henry as running commentary, keeping Regina on the straight and narrow, or at least making her think about others and their feelings.

Regina couldn't help her reaction to Emma at Gold's shop. She was practically asking for it. She also knew without a doubt that Emma had not intended to cause the harm she did. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to get a few good shots in while she could. Yes, she had changed, she had evolved, but some things wouldn't change. She meant what she said to Henry, that she wasn't going to go after Emma, and that she was going to be civil with her. She sighed, thinking she had lasted all of 1 day.

"Why is change so hard?" she muttered to herself.

As she walked back to her car, she got the feeling that someone was watching her. With Elsa on the loose, she knew she needed to be on her guard. She spun around quickly, fireball at the ready only to see nobody. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a slight movement. She turned quickly to face the person and she gasped.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well your majesty, I heard the ruckus out here, and came to investigate. I saw the ice witch run off and I followed her. I figured if she can change the weather like this, it might be beneficial for us to know where she was hiding out. Coincidentally, she is hiding out at the same farm as the last witch. What should we do now?" Robin said smoothly.

It annoyed Regina that the man who came after her the other night was able to talk to her this way, like nothing was broken between them. He could just focus on the matter at hand, which she knew she should be doing too, but she just couldn't with him standing in front of her.

"We do nothing. I will tell the Charmings and Ms. Swan. You have no part in this. The fewer people involved in this, the better. Elsa is clearly psychotic. You need to worry about Roland and..." she stumbled over her next words. "Marian. Your family needs you to be safe and with them, not running through the woods after a loon who has no control of her magic and wants to freeze us all to death."

"Regina, I..." he started, but stopped as Regina turned to walk away.

She couldn't let him see her cry. It was bad enough that she couldn't say his wife's name without stumbling over it. She got into her car and pulled out her phone. She called Henry first. She knew that Emma probably hadn't called him yet, and he did seem to genuinely like the pirate. He needed to know what was going on so he didn't walk into something he wasn't prepared for.

"Henry, something has happened. Are you still with Archie at Granny's?"

"Yea mom. Is it bad? Is it this crazy weather, did you figure out what is causing it?

Regina sighed, considering whether or not she should have this conversation on the phone, "Yes, it's bad, and yes we know what is causing the weather. I'm coming there right now. I will tell you about it all in a few minutes. Just stay inside for now ok?"

"Alright Mom, I'll see you in a few."

As she drove slowly to Granny's, she called David and told him what Robin had told her about Elsa. David said that he was going to the hospital to pick up Emma and would tell her on their way back to the loft. He surprised her for the second time today by asking her to meet them there in an hour to come up with a plan. She wasn't expecting to remain in the "inner circle" after her moment with Emma earlier. She knew she needed to help them, there was no way that they were going to be able to succeed without her and her magic. She agreed and told him she would see them in an hour.

She pulled up to Granny's and walked quickly inside. It felt as if the temperature had dropped again. It wasn't safe for anyone to be outside for an extended amount of time.

She went to Henry immediately and told him what happened at Gold's shop and what she knew of Elsa. Regina was surprised when Henry asked how Emma was doing.

"She's fine." Regina said cautiously.

She hadn't thought to wonder about Emma. The whole town knew the pirate was in love with her, just as the whole town knew she had strong feelings for him, whether she admit them or not. What was she feeling right now? She wasn't one to show her emotions about anything but Henry. She would be fine. Hook was going to die, but she would be ok.

"Mom?" Henry paused before continuing, "I know she isn't your favorite person right now, but I'm worried about her. She was really opening up to him. She's never done that with a man since my dad. Even with Walsh, she still kept him at arms length most of the time. They were supposed to be on a date right now you know? Mom and Killian, their first one."

"Oh...?"

"Yea, and you know how things went with my dad. If Killian dies, I think it will break her."

Regina was once again surprised by Henry. When did he become such an adept reader of people? Maybe he had just become an adept reader of Emma. Looking at Henry, she saw that he really believed what he said. If Emma broke, Henry would be hurt. She sighed...

"I told you, he should already be dead, something is keeping him here, and I'm not sure what it is, but that is a good sign. Maybe there is some magic we can find...

"TRUE LOVE'S KISS!" Henry shouted. "I bet if Mom kisses him, he'll wake up. That's why he hasn't died yet. He loves her too much to let the ice get his heart. I know it!"

Regina looked at him and gave him a sad smile, "Sometimes true love's kiss is not enough, remember the memory curse? It wasn't enough."

"But it has to be," he whined, "She is the savior and he is her true love, whether she is ready to admit it or not. She deserves a chance at a happy ending." he ended vehemently.

"Well I will suggest it at our strategy meeting. I have to go now. Please stay with Archie. In fact, you two should go to the house now. There is plenty of food there and the garage is full of fire wood, so you two can keep warm."

"Ok Mom, keep me updated on Killian please. I really like him and he's good here with us all."

Regina sighed as she walked out of Granny's on her way to the strategy meeting. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There really was no known way to save him.


	14. The Look of Revenge

Snow was pacing the room when David walked back in with Emma. She started towards the two of them, but before she could get halfway across the room, David held his hand up letting her know not to go to their daughter. Snow froze, a concerned look forming on her face.

"Right now," David started, "We need to discuss what happened at Gold's shop, and what we need to do to get Elsa under control." He sighed before continuing, "Then we can figure out what to do about Hook."

"Ok, alright. I understand," she replied.

She looked hard at Emma. She knew that she struggled with her feelings for Killian, but to have him taken out of the picture completely, without choice had to be killing her. She looked like the same old Emma with the exception of the immense amount of concern showing around her eyes. Snow hated that she couldn't tell if all that concern was for the town or Killian. You never really knew what she was thinking unless she told you. It's probably both Snow thought.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Emma let Regina in.

"Miss Swan...?" Regina clearly didn't know what to say.

She was staring at Emma so hard, Snow started to think that she was going to use magic against her. Then Regina sighed hopelessly. Snow was guessing Regina's outburst at Gold's shop and Killian being out cold affected Regina more than she wanted anyone to know. She knew that Regina didn't really hate Emma, just the situation that she was in right now. It was much easier to place the blame on Emma than just deal with what was happening.

"Regina, I'm glad you're here. Come in. We're just waiting on Gold and Belle," Emma rushed. Clearly Emma didn't want this to be any more awkward than it already was.

"Yes, Regina, come in. Can I get you something warm to drink? I know it is still cold in here," Snow said.

"Oh, well thank you. Tea would be nice. In fact, here. Let me."

With that, she waved her hand, and the temperature in the room raised at least 15 degrees. On the table was a steaming kettle of water, several mugs, and at least 4 different types of tea bags along with everything anyone could possibly put in their tea.

"Thank you Regina," said Snow. "That is amazing."

"Well there is no reason for us to freeze if we don't have to, plus you have a newborn. We have to keep the little prince comfortable and warm." She paused, weighing her words before deciding to go on. "I can teach you how to do it Ms. Swan. It would probably be a good thing to know if we can't catch Elsa just yet."

"Thanks. Maybe later?"

"Of course, strategy first. Where are Gold and Belle?"

"Right here Dearie. It is very difficult to travel outside right now. Forgive us. Let's get down to business. What do we know?" Rumple said as he and Belle walked into the loft.

"After you left, I saw Robin. He said that he had heard the commotion and came to check it out. When he saw her run off he followed her, and apparently she is staying at the same farm that Zelena was staying at. So we know where she is hiding out."

Snow looked at Regina hard, concern showing on her face again. It was a testament to the severity of the situation that nobody said anything to Regina about running into Robin. Snow knew it had to be difficult for her. She remembered what it had been like for her before her memories returned and David had been with Katherine. Oh it was just an awful feeling. She really felt for Regina. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and focus, she took a sip of her tea.

"That could be to our advantage. If she doesn't know we know where she is, we could surprise her," Snow said. If we could get close enough to her... "Did you learn anything in the Library Belle?"

"Not much. She isn't in control of her magic all the time, but there is something interesting about her magic. She was born with it. It wasn't something she every learned to control. She may not even be making it cold on purpose. She also has a sister, who in all the stories, seems to be the one person that can keep her under control...kind of. Even she isn't able to keep Elsa at bay all the time. That's it. That's all I was able to find out. I'll keep looking though. Maybe something more substantial will turn up."

"Rumpelstiltskin, why did you have her in your vault?" David asked.

"Well, simply put, she is dangerous, too dangerous to be out on her own. As we can all see."

"No, what I meant is if she's not from the Enchanted Forest how did you capture her?"

"Oh, well that's simple really. Magic of course. I traveled to Arendale once upon a time. I offered Elsa my services, thinking she was like Regina and Ms. Swan here. People who had the ability to learn magic, not someone born with it. There is a huge difference in their abilities you know. When I saw what she was capable of, I knew she was a danger to everyone, and I used magic to trap her in the urn. I don't think she's too pleased with me for that."

"You don't say!" replied Regina sarcastically. "What can we do now though? I'm sure the urn is not an option anymore."

"I actually don't know. I was hoping our prince and princess would have an idea." He looked over at Snow expectantly.

Snow just stared at him. Never did she think that Rumpelstiltskin would look to her for an idea, let alone hope that she had an idea. She frowned, then looked over at David, who was just looking back at her with the same face. He had no ideas either.

"What if..." began Snow, "What if, we teach her to control her magic? Belle said she may not even be meaning to make it as cold as she is right now. Maybe she just needs help."

Emma stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word. Snow was shocked. It was not like Emma to walk out on strategy meetings, especially so abruptly. She looked to David again, and saw him shaking his head.

"While she's out of the room," he started quietly, "the Hook thing is really bothering her. I'm sure that her instinct is not to help the woman that most likely just killed the man she loves, even if it is the right thing to do."

Snow smacked her head and stood up to follow Emma, but stopped when Emma came back into the room with a determined look on her face.

"I have an idea," she started, "Elsa is obviously pissed at Gold for locking her up and Killian for God only knows what. She is going to want revenge. We're not safe here as long as the two of them are here. What if we send Gold and Killian over the town line, making sure she knows we're doing it?"

"What exactly would that accomplish Dearie, besides getting rid of us?"

"Emma! You're a genius," cried Belle.

"What?" cried out an angry Rumpelstiltskin, "we've only been married a day and you already want me gone?"

Every head in the room turned to stare at him.

"Of course not! If you two leave, she will follow you," Belle replied matter of factly.

Snow connected the dots and squealed, "You're right, she is a genius! That is brilliant Emma, truly brilliant."

Rumpelstiltskin was very angry, "Someone please explain this to me. I think I might be missing the brilliant part, since I will lose my magic if I cross the town line...OH. Oh Ms. Swan, that is a good idea. There is only one problem."

"What is it?" she asked him.

"What will stop her from coming back over the town line when we do?"

Emma grinned, and Snow felt her face screw up in concern for the third time since her daughter walked into the loft. This was not a good grin. It was the look she saw in Regina's eyes when she declared Snow her number one enemy all those years ago, it was the look in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes when he wanted to go after Zelena for killing Neal, and the look in Hook's eyes when she first met him. It was the look of revenge.

"Me," Emma whispered.


	15. A Plan in Motion

David looked at Emma out of the corner of his eye. He knew that this had to be killing her. He didn't realize how much she really cared for the pirate until he saw her face when she saw him at Gold's shop. He also couldn't help but feel more than a little guilty. If he hadn't told Hook to get her a gift, he probably wouldn't have been on that side of town, Elsa wouldn't have seen him, and he would have made it to the loft without a frozen heart. He was lost in his thoughts when he felt Snow staring at him. With their gift of silent communication he conveyed his guilt to her and she immediately moved to sit next to him placing her hand on his arm.

"It's not your fault you know. She would have found him eventually. It's not like Storybrooke is a large town," she whispered to him.

David just shrugged, then gave her a small smile because he knew she was feeling bad that he felt guilty.

"So, how exactly are we going to let Elsa know that Gold and Killian are leaving town?" he asked, to change the subject.

Without hesitation everyone responded "Tell Leroy."

Emma spoke quietly, "If we tell him, everyone will know within an hour. Hopefully Elsa will hear it before the day is out. If nothing else, we make flyers and plaster them all over the farm. She has to know they're leaving so she can follow them."

"That sounds good to me," replied Snow. "Hopefully it won't come to that just because I don't want anyone out there, but we will do what we must so she knows. How do we get Killian out of town?"

"I've already called Whale, and told him the plan. He said that they can get him into a chair and have him ready for me to pick him up in a couple of hours. They want to get his stats up as high as they can before we put him back outside."

David looked at Emma, ready to offer his help, when she got up and walked to the door.

"I'm going to go get...I'm going to him now. I'll meet everyone at the town line first thing tomorrow morning."

David nodded at her as she quietly exited the loft. He looked to Snow who looked like she was ready to drop.

"If we're all agreed, I think Snow should call Leroy and tell him the news. Then we can all get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow."

Everyone nodded, and as they filed out, he heard Snow telling Leroy "the news" about Gold and Hook. When she got off the phone, she walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"This is going to turn out all right. This plan is going to work."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she responded. "The look in Emma's eyes when she said that she'd be waiting for Elsa, that was not a 'I'll talk some sense into her look' it was more of a 'I'm going to kill her look'. It was the same one that Regina had when she looked at me, the same one Killian had when I first met him...it's not going to end well, I'm afraid. Emma is hurting and vulnerable right now and she still can't admit why, which makes her even more...I don't know, dangerous..? That's not the right word. I can't think straight anymore."

David knew his wife was stressed out. They all were, so he hugged her and kissed her on the forehead dragging her to the bedroom.

"Emma will not be consumed by revenge. She is not Regina or Hook. She has Henry and us to keep her grounded. She has a family, people that love and support her and she has Hook. She knows what his revenge did to him, and I don't think she would want to live her life that way too. He gave up his revenge for her, for her family, to keep her safe because he loves her. Whether she wants to admit that or not, it's true and she will remember it. She will not become Regina, Snow. So don't worry. Now lets get some sleep before Neal wakes up again. Tomorrow is going to be a very trying day."

He looked at the smile begin to spread on his wife's face with curiosity.

"What?"

"You admitted that he loves her, and it was beautiful," she said as she started crying. "OH! These hormones! I can't wait for this to go back to normal. Let's get to bed," she said as she wiped her face clean of tears.

David stared after her. He had known that the pirate had feelings for her. Everyone knew, but saying he knew he loved her was something that took him by surprise. Love is a big deal. Love is not small. Love is...

"Damn! If he makes it through this, I owe him an even bigger apology than the one I already gave him."


	16. Tell Me a Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I own nothing, but I did borrow some quotes from season 3.

"Ms. Swan, wait a moment, please."

Emma turned, surprised that Regina was talking to her away from the group. "Yes?"

"Henry...He asked me to pass a message on to you before the meeting."

Emma was confused. Why would Henry ask Regina to pass a message on instead of just telling her himself? Especially when things were on such thin ice between the two of them right now.

"You must be really worried about the pirate. You didn't even ask why Henry asked me to pass the message along. I'll be brief," she hurried on. "Henry wanted me to tell you to try true love's kiss. It usually works on curses and what Elsa has done to him is most assuredly something your light magic would work on. I'll leave you to it."

With that, Regina turned and walked in the opposite direction before she could even really process what she had said. Emma turned herself in the direction of the hospital and walked carefully to avoid falling. The last thing she needed was to have a twisted ankle while battling it out with the snow witch. She had been thinking furiously all night long trying to figure out what to do about Killian. She couldn't lose him too. She couldn't stand the idea of him not being around, not being in her life.

"Dammit!" she yelled. "It won't work. He already tried that once and it didn't work on my memories. I still didn't know who he was until I drank the potion."

By the time she made it to the hospital she was feeling more defeated than she had ever felt in her life. She couldn't do anything to help him, she couldn't save him. What kind of savior can't save the people they love?

"Love?" She paused. "Where did that come from?"

Emma shook her head and walked determinedly down the hall to Killian's room. She looked at his blue face and she knew she had to do whatever she could to get him back. She moved over to the chair and pulled it up next to the bed. She all but fell into the chair, wiggling around to try and get comfortable. After a few minutes she sighed and went to find Whale to see if there was any update on Killian. He didn't look any worse, but he definitely did not look any better.

As she walked out of the room she heard her phone go off. Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text message from her dad:

In case you were wondering, the kiss doesn't work on memory curses.

Another ping, another text message, from her mom:

Henry has a point...The only thing you can try now is true loves kiss.

Another ping, another message from her dad:

If it doesn't work, well then, we're here for you. We love you and support you. Even if you love a pirate.

Again with the L word. Could she love him? Henry, David and Mary Margaret seemed to think she did. She couldn't though, could she? It hasn't been long enough...then again they had been through a lot together. More probably than most couples ever go though. Couple? When did she start thinking of them as a couple?

"Oh shit," she whispered. "I do love him."

Emma stared hard at the wall trying to sort it all out quickly, but she knew she was just stalling the inevitable. She had to try the kiss. She slowly walked over to his bed, and oh so cautiously leaned over him.

"Killian, come back to me. Please," she whispered as she closed her eyes and kissed his nearly freezing lips.

She felt it rather than saw it, a shimmering quality in the air. She was afraid to open her eyes, and she was afraid to move away because she felt a warmth emanating from the body below her. She knew that if she looked at him and it hadn't worked, she was going to lose it.

"Emma?" whispered Killian's voice from right below her.

Emma still couldn't open her eyes, even when she felt him moving under her. She just stood there frozen, leaning over him with her eyes closed.

"Why are you crying love? What happened? Why am I in the hospital again?" He bombarded her with his questions and she still couldn't move or open her eyes.

She just knew it was a trick of her mind. He was still passed out. She was imagining it all, at least that was what she was telling herself until he touched her and jolted her out of her fears. She looked down at him and all she saw in his eyes was concern. Concern for her. He was in the damn hospital with no memories of why and he was concerned for her?

"Are you cold?" she asked him, completely ignoring his questions.

"Aye, but that can wait. Why are you crying?"

Again, ignoring his questions, she crawled into the hospital bed with him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him close and breathed in his scent. He still smelled like himself, the ocean, leather and a hint of rum. She was so relieved that she completely lost it, broke down sobbing against his chest. His arm came around her and played with her hair as he made soothing noises.

"Emma Love, what is the matter? Why all the tears? I'm a little nervous love, you aren't the type to cry over little things."

"Are you warming up yet?"

"A bit, now, out with it, why the tears?"

"Why does Elsa hate you? Why would she try to kill you? What did you do to her?"

Killian's face clouded with resignation. Emma could tell that this was something he did not want to talk about.

"It's OK, you don't have to tell me. It just kind of came out."

"It's alright Love, just my past coming back to haunt me. Wait, Elsa is here? You've got to leave, take Henry and leave. You don't need to be around. OHHHH!" He smacked his hand on he rail of the bed, "That explains the weather. She came after me?"

Emma filled him in on the details she knew as quickly as she could. There were some gaps missing since he and her family had gone all super secret spy on her earlier in the day, but he seemed to be able to fill in the missing pieces.

"So when can you and Henry leave?" he asked.

Emma looked at him, hurt. She knew that he was looking out for her and Henry, but she wasn't leaving. He should know that she wouldn't leave her family and her town to fend for themselves. He should know that better than anyone. He was in the past with her. He knew how hard she had to fight to get back here.

"We're not leaving. You are. You and Gold."

Now it was Killian's turn to look hurt. Emma realized how that must have sounded to him, so she grabbed his hand and held tight.

"That came out wrong. That is not what I meant at all. You guys are leaving, but you are coming back. When you cross the town line, there is no magic. So we're going to send you and Gold over the line, have her follow you since she has a major vendetta against you both and when she comes back, I'll be waiting for her with Regina."

"That's a pretty good plan. Yours?" When she nodded he continued, "Now about this whole being frozen thing..." he paused. "I should have died pretty quickly. I wasn't prepared for her. How am I still here?"

"I don't know, but I am glad that you are." She smiled at him as she said it.

She watched the smile bloom across his face. His color was returning and he was nowhere near as cold as he had been even 10 minutes ago. She just looked at him for a few minutes deciding what her next move would be. Play it safe or not Emma?

"Do you remember anything about Elsa attacking you?" It's better to play it safe for now. He's still in the hospital she though.

"No, not really. There was some stuff after, but nothing during the actual assault."

"What do you remember after? You were out cold, no pun intended. I only heard you groan once the entire time."

He looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, but Emma wasn't going to let this drop. What had happened to him while he was frozen?

"I was in the Echo Cave again, but I couldn't move. I was stuck on the ground, frozen, and the cave kept replaying my secret from when we went to save Balefire. That was the moment that our relationship changed, became something completely different. It was awful, because I thought I'd not see you again. I couldn't bear it. Yet here you are, here with me, in a bed." He winked at her suggestively.

"You don't have to lighten the mood on my behalf Killian." She paused a moment, deciding what she needed to tell him versus what could wait. "I woke you up."

"Yes, I assumed as much. Your magic is coming along nicely Swan."

"You're being pretty dim for such a smart guy. You know as well as I do that no magic can unfreeze someone. The only thing that can do that is..."

"True Loves Kiss" he whispered in awe as he looked at her. "You? You did this? But it didn't work when I tried it on you."

"Apparently it doesn't work when one person is under a memory curse. I guess if you can't remember yourself you can't have true love."

"Emma, do you know what this means?" he asked very solemnly.

"Ummm, no. Yes. Maybe. I know what it means. I just don't know what it means to me yet. It's been one hell of a day."

Killian was grinning from ear to ear, and it was making Emma very nervous.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"Well Emma, I know what it means to me." He paused, most likely for dramatic effect, "It means that I won your heart without trickery, that you want me."

She looked at him, so happy and content because she simply felt the way about him that he did about her. After the idea of losing him, she didn't want to waste any more time without him.

"OK, here it goes. I thought you were going to die, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I couldn't help you, I couldn't save the town from cold front Elsa, and it really just scared me. I have become too accustomed to you being in my life, and I even like you being there. I don't want you to die, so please try to avoid it from now on OK? I'm not saying it will be easy for you, because I am a difficult person to love, but I do love you Killian."

As she said his name, his lips crashed over hers and she was lost in him. She didn't know how long their kiss went on for, but she didn't care. He was alive and that was all that mattered. Eventually, he broke away from her, shifted his arm, and resumed playing with her hair.

"Go to sleep Savior. We've got a long day tomorrow. We've got a Snow Queen to catch off guard."

Emma cuddled up to him and sighed in contentment. This was something she could get used to.

"Killian, tell me a story?"

"Of course Love. Once Upon a Time, there was a pirate who could cross realms with his ship. On one such expedition, he came across a strange icy land called Arendale..."


	17. The Man I Once Was

"Once Upon a Time, there was a pirate who could cross realms with his ship. On one such expedition, he came across a strange icy land called Arendale. The pirate and his crew did not much care for the weather in this icy land, but alas, they had to replenish their supplies."

"I know you are the pirate in the story Killian. You can tell me in first person," interrupted Emma.

"Of course Love. As I was saying...We did not like the weather in Arendale. The water would freeze even though it was moving, and that caused us all kinds of trouble. We had just come from Neverland, and as you know, it is very warm there. The drastic change in weather was quite alarming as you can imagine. The crew was eager to replenish and leave, but I wanted to learn more about this place, so I asked around. I heard the townspeople talk of Queen Elsa and her sister Princess Ana. People said that Elsa had great power, she could control ice and snow, make it bend to her will. That was very interesting to me as I was still looking for a way to get my revenge on the Crocodile. I thought that possibly freezing him would be enough for me since killing him wasn't an option anymore."

"I found my way into their castle a few days after we docked. I had an audience with the 2 sisters. They were decidedly less formal in Arendale than in the Enchanted Forest, and held court every day. At the time, I thought it was foolishness, but now I can see it was because they really cared about Arendale, which makes what happened even worse. Swan, please remember that I am not that man anymore...There are some things that I've done, things that haunt me now and will continue to haunt me..."

"We all have a past Killian, it won't change how I feel about you now. I..." Emma started.

"I tricked her people into forcing her out of Arendale! I learned all that I could about her and her past. Apparently there had been a problem when she was younger, she froze the whole town, the ocean even. I planted seeds of doubt that she had her powers under control everywhere that I went, while I was telling her my story in court. I knew nothing about her powers, I just wanted her to freeze my crocodile. The people started to worry and whisper. Some brave souls even went to Elsa herself and asked her if she was in control. The queen did not take their doubt in her very well, as I knew she wouldn't since she was so insecure to begin with. She rescinded her title and gave it over to Ana. Her sister though, was adamant that she find out where the rumors came from," he paused.

"She traced them back to me after I had offered Elsa an escape to a land without magic. Obviously she was more than a bit upset with me, and since she was also upset about being ousted by her people as well she kind of lost control. She froze the land again and everyone in it, including her sister Ana. The Jolly Roger almost didn't make it. One of my crew was fortunate enough to come across a magic bean in the marketplace. If it wasn't for that, we would have been frozen as well. And that is why Elsa came after me. I pretended to be her friend, I used her and I helped push her over the edge all because of my vendetta."

Emma looked at him, and for once he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She was anything but an open book at that moment. He was expecting her to move away from him, to tell him to stay away from her. Yes, she had said we all have a past, but his was a bit dirtier than most. He was surprised when she hugged him closer, kissed his cheek and rested her head on his chest.

"Thank you for telling me. I know that can't have been easy. I know you aren't that man anymore. None of us have a perfect past Killian. We have all made mistakes, done things that we wouldn't do in the present. I do see why she went after you though. Do you know why she went after Gold?"

"She went after Rumplestilskin?" he asked.

"Yes, she had frozen him in a block of ice. He couldn't magic himself out or use any magic to get out of it. Speaking of which, why were you over there instead of picking me up for our date?"

"Hmm...I don't know anything about Rumplestilskin's magic. As for my being over there.." he paused as Emma's phone started ringing.

"Hey mom," Emma started.

He watched her face turn pink at whatever Snow White had said to her. He found he liked watching the flush spread from her cheeks. He just watched her, not really listening to the conversation she was having with her mother.

"My parents are glad you're ok," she whispered. "They're going to let everyone else know, which really helps the plan even more actually. Once Leroy knows something, everyone else knows within an hour. Now though, we need to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day."

"I think I've had quite enough sleep for a while, but you sleep Love," he said. "I'm going to just lay here and enjoy your presence, if that's alright with you. If I get tired, I'll sleep."

Emma nodded at him, and placed her head back on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. He lay there watching her for a while. He was amazed that this beautiful woman was here with him, even after what he had told her about ruining Elsa's life.

"I don't know what I did in my miserable life that makes me deserve your presence, but I am so glad my love that the fates decided we should meet and that I was able to win you over. You changed me for the better Swan, and there are not words enough to express what it means to me, to be the man I once was again. The man that Liam was proud of. I just..." he whispered into the dark.

"I love you too Killian. Now, go to sleep," she whispered as she grinned at him.

Knowing better than to argue with her, he closed his eyes and relaxed into her warmth.


	18. Plans Put in Motion

The next morning Emma was woken slowly by the comforting feel of Kilian's chest rising and falling. She turned her head just to look at his face only to be met by his knowing smirk.

"Sleep well ,Love?"

"Better than I thought I would considering what we have to do today," she replied almost whispering.

"Yes, I guess we should ready ourselves. What do you need me to do?"

"Stay safe," she replied immediately. "That, and play comatose so she doesn't know that you're not actually on the verge of death. That would be really helpful. We've got the rest of it worked out...mostly."

"Mostly? What have you not figured out yet?"

Emma didn't reply immediately, trying to gather her thoughts before she spoke. She knew that what she was going to say might change the way he looked at her.

"I was thinking...She doesn't seem to like you or Gold. I don't see her changing her mind about going after you guys. I know the plan is to have her follow you two over the town line and double back right into my and Regina's path, but what if we just...what if we just left her out there? That would have to be better than being in Rumpelstiltskin's vault. And she can't freeze anyone or cause the weather to go crazy. Based on what I know about her, it might be a better option for everyone involved," she said avoiding looking at Killian.

"What are you and Regina planning on doing to her, when we double back around"

"Yesterday the plan was to end her. Today, I'm rethinking that. I was so scared and angry about what she did to you and I didn't really think it through very much. More reaction than anything else."

Killian just looked at her for a minute before saying "Love, killing someone is not for you, ever. Under any circumstance except self defense. It does something to your soul that...I never want you to experience. Is there anyway to subdue her and send her back to Arendale? Can we not offer her that option?"

Emma got out her phone to call Regina to ask about it. While they were discussing the possibilities, she got up and started to get ready to head to the town line. She nodded to Killian, who was still just laying in bed to get up, but he just stayed in the bed. Getting off the phone, she turned to him and stared at him hard.

"What? I'm supposed to be comatose. I don't move on my own. You'll have to do it for me, but be gentle Love. I'm very fragile right now and I know how rough you can be," he said with a smirk.

"I'll show you fragile," Emma mumbled to herself as she used her magic to get him out of the bed and into the wheelchair Dr. Whale had placed in the room the night before.

Killian just laughed as Emma pushed him down the hall before remembering that he was supposed to be playing dead.

As they pulled up to the town line, Emma noticed that Robin Hood was standing off to the side, as if he was trying to hide in the woods. She looked at Regina to see how she was handling it, but either she was pretending she didn't see him, or she had no idea he was there. She also noticed that Gold was nowhere in sight. She took a deep breath as she parked her car and got comatose Killian out and into the wheelchair again, and if she bumped his head once or twice, on accident, what could she say? She could be rough sometimes.

"Where's Gold?" she asked with no preamble.

"He's coming. He had a few things he couldn't leave Storybrooke without. He should be here any" Regina started before being interrupted by the man himself popping in front of Emma.

"Sorry Dearies, there were some things I was afraid to forget," he said emphasizing the word forget and carefully placing an old tattered shawl around his neck.

"Alright, well Killian is ready. I just..." Emma started to shiver as she noticed the temperature dropping. "You guys need to go now, she's coming."

Gold took the handles of Killian's wheelchair and started pushing him in the direction of the town line. Emma set her shoulders and turned around eyes searching for Elsa. The witch was coming, and soon, the temperature was continuing to drop steadily and everyone in their little group was shivering almost uncontrollably. Then the snow started. It was falling softly, as if it were trying to lull the heroes into a false sense of security before the storm started.

Regina called out, "Elsa, we know you are here. We sent them away to protect them from you, so just stop. We're all tired of being cold."

A gust of wind and snow rushed at their group and Elsa stepped out of it. Emma had to admit that it was a pretty cool trick, but knew that now was not the time to be awed by it. She stepped forward slightly towards Elsa and planted her feet. Regina did the same, as did David, Snow and Belle.

"You cannot harm them. We are sending them over the town line. You can't follow them or you lose your magic. We can send you back to Arendale, but nobody else can be harmed," Emma said through shivering teeth.

"You would save those 2 horrible excuses for human beings?!" Elsa shrieked. "Do you know what they are capable of? Trickery and deceit, that is all they are capable of."

"Maybe at one time, that was true, but not now. They are trying to be the best version of themselves. I understand that you are hurt, and probably very lonely. I don't know how long you were in the vault, but we can send you back," Snow said to the queen.

"They won't want me back. Not after what I did to them, again. I'm stuck here, and you're stuck with it being cold. Get used to it," she sneered.

"You don't know that," Snow said gently. "I'm sure your sister would love to see you again."

"She would, but not until I get rid of the pirate and the dark one. I promised her, I would make it right again. Killian Jones caused me to freeze my entire realm, and the Dark one bottled me up because of it. They are both going to pay."

Elsa started walking towards them and Regina and Emma lifted their hands, ready to make fire. Before any of them could do more than that, Elsa froze them all. Emma screamed in frustration and anger as she tried shooting fireball after fireball at the thick ice with no effect. Her magic just wouldn't work and it looked like Regina was having the same problem. She stood there, frozen and helpless as Elsa started for the town line. She just hoped that Gold and Killian had made it far enough that they could start to double back. They would need Gold to get them out of this.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see some movement near the woods where she had seen Robin standing. Frozen as she was, she couldn't really see much beyond colors flying by. It seemed to go on forever. She started losing track of time. Had she been frozen for a minute or an hour? She couldn't tell. She was so cold, and she couldn't even shiver to create additional body heat. Suddenly she began to thaw out. The ice was melting and she saw her pirate standing in front of her ready to catch her as she stumbled out of the human sized ice cube.


	19. Alone No More

Emma's brain started working before her body could. She knew that she was laying down, she knew that she was warm and she knew that Killian was next to her., though how she knew that last one was beyond her. She tried to open her eyes, but just couldn't. Groaning, she tried again and felt her body shift sideways.

"Oi! Dave, she's waking up"

She heard the scuffle of feet coming towards her, but she still couldn't make her body obey her. It was almost as bad as being in the block of ice. Thinking about it made her shiver. Well at least I can do that she thought.

"Emma Love," she heard Killian's voice. "Emma open your eyes. I know its hard, but you can do it. Let's not make your mother any more crazy alright?"

She giggled a little to herself, but then processed what he had said. She started clawing inwardly towards body control and she was able to open her eyes slowly. She saw 4 very relieved faces surrounding her.

"How long have I been out?" she asked afraid of the answer.

Henry threw himself at her answering as he did, "Only a few hours, but nobody else frozen by Elsa had that kind of reaction. We were all really worried about you. I'm so glad you're ok! You are ok aren't you?"

"Yea Kid, I am," she said hugging him back tightly.

She noticed Killian moving slowly out of the bed, and she just could not have that, so she grabbed his hand and twined their fingers together, keeping him near to her.

"What happened?" she asked as she got more comfortable in the bed. She didn't plan on leaving it for a good long while.

"Well, the Crocodile and I made our way across the line. We walked for just a moment before we headed back around. That is why Robin was standing where he was. He was acting as a guide for us. Gold used a potion to basically tether us to him so we could get back into town, or Gold anyway. I've never had that problem not being part of the original curse. We made out way back and saw you all frozen. Gold and Elsa fought with their magic, while Robin and I used another potion that Gold had prepared, to melt the ice."

"And, what happened to Elsa?" she asked almost afraid to know.

Snow came and sat on the bed next to her, touching her hair gently before responding, "We sent her over the town line. We had no choice. She couldn't let her revenge go and we couldn't have that here in Storybrooke."

Emma noticed the unease in the adults and knew there was more to the story.

"Hey Kid, can you get me a hot chocolate? I'm still feeling a little chilled."

As soon as Henry left the room with a huge grin on his face, she looked to them and waited for them to talk.

"Well, you seen Elsa had decided that if she couldn't kill Hook or Gold to exact her revenge, she would do the next best thing," David started.

Emma noticed Killian fidgeting, and did not like where this conversation was going.

"She said she would take the most important people to us away," Killian stated lamely. "Namely you and Belle. Which got the both of us upset. I've never seen him use so much magic so quickly and I may have lost my cool and gone after her as well."

"With what? Your sword?!" Emma nearly shouted.

"Umm, yes," was all he could say. He wouldn't meet her eyes, terrified of what he would see there.

Snow cleared her throat and began, "Quickly before Henry gets back...It was a good thing he did Emma. She couldn't keep up with the two of them coming after her and honestly after she tried shooting that ice into your chest too, I nearly went after her myself. Regina and Robin had to hold us back for a moment."

Shocked, Emma looked at them all. She saw the strain in their faces behind the relief that was so obvious. She had really worried them.

"She shot at me, but didn't hit me?"

"Not exactly Love. Regina actually knocked the ice off target, but it kind of..." Killian looked to her parents for the right word.

"Shattered," Snow said. "It shattered over you, so we didn't know what it would do, how you would react. If Regina hadn't looked over when she did..." There were tears in her eyes, and Emma knew how serious the situation had been.

"What about Belle? Is she alright?"

Everyone nodded in unison as they heard the door slam closed downstairs. Henry barreled up the stairs with Regina and Robin in tow.

"When they heard you were awake, they wanted to come too," he explained before anyone could ask.

"I'm glad you are alright Emma," Regina said. "You rather scared us with that sleeping beauty stunt of yours."

"Thank you for," Emma paused, looking at Henry, "everything."

Regina just nodded at Emma, understanding that nobody had told him everything that happened. Emma noticed that Robin and Regina were standing very close to one another, and Robin's eyes were glued to Regina. She didn't think a reunion was far off for the two of them. Marion or no Marion, the man was clearly in love with her. She smiled at the two of them, thanking them for coming to see her, but she was getting tired again and needed to rest.

Robin and Regina took their cue and excused themselves. David kissed her on the forehead and took Henry downstairs to play a game with him as snow patted her arm and went to check on Neal. Clearly her parents could take a hint. Again Killian tried to move away from her and she kept their fingers wound together tightly.

"I'm beginning to think you dont want to be in bed with me," she said with a smirk.

She noticed a tinge of pink climb up his cheeks. Killian was starting to blush and Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my! I've made the notorious Captain Hook blush with a little innuendo. The world must be coming to an end," she said dramatically and with a smile. "Why do you keep trying to get away from me?" she asked gently.

"I didn't want to presume anything Swan. We've not discussed our feelings much beyond the fact that they are there, and we attempted to go on a date, but that has yet to happen. I'm not sure how courting works here in this realm."

She smiled at him and held their linked hands up to him before responding, "This means I want you to stay with me, and I love you."

He grinned and relaxed into the mattress after she said her piece. She rested her head on his shoulder and asked him to tell her the rest of it.

"Of course Love. Elsa went after you and Belle at the same time. The Crocodile stopped the ice from hitting her and vanished her out of harms way. Elsa was...enraged, I think is the best word. She started to turn into ice herself, and we knew it wasn't going to be good. So The Crocodile and I went after her, he attacking with magic, and I with my sword. We kept her pretty busy and Regina blasted her with fire, over the town line."

"Do you think she'll come back across?"

"She can't. The Crocodile re-enacted the spell he had Belle do when we went to Neverland. She was standing there, but couldn't see us, hear us or get back to us. Robin Hood was our tether to get back over the line. I'm not really sure how, just know that it was magic. That's why he wore Baelfire's scarf. He wasn't sure if the original curse's magic was back in place and he knew he couldn't forget what we were about."

"Oh."

"Yes, and I think it was a good thing too, since once she went across she looked confused. She didn't look like she had any idea why she was there, or what she was doing. I just hope that she is able to make her new life a good one. One without anger and revenge constantly on her mind. I know I did this to her. It is upsetting that you lot couldn't make her see that she could go back to Arendale and her sister."

"Yes, it is," Emma replied glumly. "I know that I said that might be the best option for her, but it must be awful to not have any memories. She didn't have an alter-ego over here, so she has nothing."

"Yes, however, there is a bright side to that. She can start over completely. There will be nobody after her, or telling her what to do. Nobody will be trying to usurp her position or use her magic. She literally can do whatever she wants. I'm not saying it will be easy by any means, but she has a fresh start."

Emma looked at him, smiling. She knew that he was really reassuring himself because he blamed himself for her situation. He regretted those particular actions more than most decisions he made as Captain Hook.

"Speaking of fresh starts, I know how perceptive you are and was wondering if you noticed how closely Robin and Regina were standing when they came to visit," Emma said.

"Even the most unperceptive person would have noticed that Love. Between that and the way he looked at her, they're definitely on the mend. He went to Rumpelstiltskin and asked what he could do to help since Regina told him he couldn't help. She had no idea and was quite incensed when she found out about it later. After we made sure Elsa wasn't coming back across, the two of them left together, talking about an argument he had with Marian, but I couldn't really hear it and was quite upset over your unconscious state."

"Glad to know I rank pretty high on your worry list," she said snarkily with a grin.

"Oh you're up there pretty high on the list Emma."

He didn't often actually call her Emma, and when he said her name, she shivered. She knew exactly how high she was on his list.

The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically. There was no playfulness in the air, just tension, but the good kind. The kind that Emma had always run from because it meant things were serious.

"Killian," she started. "I'm in this for the long haul too. You're going to have to be patient with me though. I haven't ever really felt like this before," she paused taking in his facial expression. Realizing he was going to interrupt, she kept on, "Neal was different, we were a lot younger and I did love him, as much as I could at the time, but it is very different from what I feel with you. This is not adolescent puppy love, this is..." she paused again looking for the right word.

"More?" he suggested.

"Yes," she responded breathily, "much more."

"I can deal with 'much more'," he responded gently as he used his hook to carefully push some strands of hair out of her face.

"So how about a re-do on our date?" she asked to lighten up the mood.

"I think that can definitely be arranged Love. I'm pretty sure your parents would kill me if we didn't let them have the experience of our first date, or at least your mother would. I hear it's something of a big deal in this realm, the man coming to the door and being stared down by the father while the mother takes photos. Do I have it all?"

"One, my parents wouldn't kill you. Threaten? Maybe. But kill? No. Two, my dad stares you down whenever he sees you already. And three, I'd like some pictures of us, so she can snap away with her camera."

"Well, alright then. After you are healed up and ready, we will have a re-do of our long past due date."

He looked at her, with a slight smirk on his face and in that moment Emma knew she was never going to be alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go folks. I hope you enjoyed my story. It became so much longer than I had anticipated. I didn't actually sit down and plan in all out from the very beginning and had to do it later to keep it from getting even longer than it was now. I'm sorry about how long it took to finish and the actual lack of action in the story, but every time I tried to write it, it just came out sounding forced and just bleh. Obviously that is something for me to work on in my writing.


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